Sandhill Cranes

[WhitewaterDuck]

For those of you who have never attempted to hunt them...they are the freaking most impossible fuggers ever! You always hear about “if you cross a deer and a turkey...” well, cross a turkey and an eagle and a black-duck and a schizo on acid and you have a freaking Sandhill! I’m waiting on backordered decoys before even attempting to kill one, because as soon as they cut the first firleld out here, every crane goes from preserve to the absolute middle of the cut field and back. If there is a cornstalk that the farmers missed, they won’t lan 100 yards from it. If you are within 1000 yards, camo to the hilt, and you attempt to crawl to some brush that they might fly over when they decide to
Leave the field...the WILL see you and fly out another direction. It beats any damn thing I’ve ever encountered in the hunting world. I guess if you have 2k to spend on a decent spread and live where they are forced to land near cover, then maybe it ain’t so hard, but in the land of the wide ass open, this is proving to be nearly, if not impossible! Pulling my freaking hair out! I guess I’m going to have to dig a 2ft deep trench in the middle of a field and bury a layout blind and cover it with dirt once my decoys get here...and hope they don’t freak out because the dirt looks disturbed. Damn, I want to kill one or three of these bastages!

[nitro5x6's]

My experiences with Sandhills have all been in N. Texas and quite the opposite. We readily decoyed and killed them with ease. One thing for certain - they are top notch table fare.

[SCDAWG]

Ribeye in the sky. I disagree, but they are fun to shoot

[Moonlight Hunter]

"Big group of ranches out here and I saw some sandhill cranes on their property. Figured I’d ask. 100$ and I have unlimited access to all ranch land for any bird hunting I want to do. I’m sitting here watching the sunrise where a group of cranes has been each am...hoping they return. There is a 100yardx40yard 1.5’ deep pond on my way in here that’s covered up with ducks. Watched redheads and mallards land in there at sunset yesterday to join the pile of teal, mallards, and at least one sprig that were already there. Hoping I kill a crane this am and give them a chance to bug out to eat so I can set up my layout blind for some afternoon killing. Shot 7 doves in 30 minutes between here and there yesterday afternoon before getting called in to the hospital to place an IV. All of this is taking place with the snow capped Laramie Mtns as my backdrop. I’m starting to like this place! Hopefully I can follow this up with a true field report and some pics. Till then...good morning!"

Yea... I don't feel sorry for you in the slightest

[Catdaddy]

Be careful hunting them with a dog.

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[dox08]

Had many occasions where I could have shouldered the shotgun and killed at 20 yards. If you don't draw a permit, they will burn your ass.

[Carolina Counsel]

We have them in range every time we hunt in Texas, but us dumbasses never get a permit.

[BCR3]

What the others said. Only hunted them in Texas and it wasn't all that hard. Good luck!

[MolliesMaster]

I'm with Moonlight. I don't feel sorry for you one bit. I hope the sandhills give you a run for your money all season. Enjoy it, lucky.

[nitro5x6's]

3" Fasteel BBs. if one hits the ground and raises it's head. Tap it again. Don't want to have a dog tangle with a cripple.

[Catdaddy]

https://www.facebook.com/tornadocoun...2783308987732/

[JABIII]

Arm a Mexican with a shovel. Profit...

[WhitewaterDuck]

I hope like heck that once my decoys arrive, a little work to get a hide in the middle of one of the fields will yield some dead cranes. I have to make myself invisible and have decoys...there is simply no way to just cut them off flying in or out and damn sure no way to ambush. Might go dig me a small trench this afternoon.

[WhitewaterDuck]

Ribeye in the sky. I disagree, but they are fun to shoot

Don’t tell me that! I’m most looking forward to grilling one of these to med.rare perfection!

[WhitewaterDuck]

Well, I figured that I might as well try to get lucky Saturday, so I left my dove gun in the truck and committed to hiding where I've seen some cranes flying over some field-edge cover. Most flew too far south or too far north when crossing into the field, but one small group flew directly over me, and I gave them a go despite thinking they might be too high. They were not too high, and they make a serious thud when hitting the earth! I ended up with a nice mixed bag of 2 cranes, one Canada goose, one woodie (lost the other cripple in a sugarbeet field...don't ever shoot ANYTHING smaller than a crane over a sugarbeet field without a really good dog), three mourning doves, and one collard dove. I have the cranes cleaned and marinating in the fridge for a crane k-bob dinner tomorrow evening.

It is my birthday today, so I decided to go watch the sunrise at another spot where I've seen a wad of cranes feeding recently. I figured they must be coming in from the east, as I could see anything coming in from the north, south, and west from my dove spot and earlier crane ambush spot, and only a handfull were coming in from those directions. I found a nice hide on the east side of this new field, and within ten minutes, I could hear them coming from the east. Three decided to fly in right above my hide, and three shots were followed by three tremendous thuds!

I hope they are as good as the good reports I've been reading; I'll report back after dinner tomorrow night.
;;

[Gut_Pile]

Nice work!

[nitro5x6's]

Very nice. Enjoy! Cranes live up to the hype when it comes to table fare. Delicious.

[nitro5x6's]

The Texan we hunt with cooks them on a smoker like a Brisket. That is fine eating indeed.

[PharmHunter]

There ya go!

[2thDoc]

HBD and congrats